Empowering Yourself to Create Your Mental & Emotional Well-Being
In Singapore and many countries, seeking help related to mental and emotional well-being or illness still carry a stigma. Many people also mesh mental illnesses and disorders with mental wellness and empowerment. So, how do you know you should seek help, and with whom can you seek help from?
Awareness
- feel stuck in one or more aspect of your life and lost on how to get out of it?
- procrastinate or struggle to work on your action plans?
- feel pain from childhood or previous experiences that still impact you?
- struggle to function according to your schedule on a daily basis?
- get into frequent panic attacks thinking of the priorities you need to work on?
- Or perhaps even find it impossible to drag yourself out of bed?
And importantly, do you know you can seek help from a life coach, counsellor, psychologist or psychiatrist, depending on the situation you are in?
Seeking Help
Broadly speaking, If you are feeling unmotivated, low self-esteem and find it hard to achieve your goals or intentions, you can start with seeking help from a life coach or counsellor. Life coach is generally more forward looking and helps you to move from now to future. On the other hand, a counsellor may be more trained to help you to first heal from your past. That said, a coach with counselling or certain specialized therapy training may also be able to help you with emotional problems. Hence, it is important to understand the trainings, approaches and styles of the coach or counsellor, to understand who you think can support you best.
On the other hand, if you think you may be suffering from a particular mental health problem or more deep rooted emotional problems, you may consider seeking help from a psychologist or counsellor. It is important though to know that only psychologist is trained to conduct a clinical diagnosis, whereas a counsellor is not.
Finally, a psychiatrist is a medical doctor so they are able to diagnose and treat mental health illnesses, specifically they can prescribe medicine if your mental condition warrants it. So, do you see a psychiatrist or psychologist first? If you do experience physical symptoms, for instance, shortness of breath or tightness in chest, it is recommended to see a psychiatrist first who can provide the diagnosis as to whether there is an underlying mental condition. If so, it is common for psychiatrist to recommend you to a psychologist or counsellor for therapy. Similarly, if you are working with a psychologist or counsellor, they may refer you to a psychiatrist if they determine that your condition needs to be better managed with medications.
Overcoming stigma in seeking help
Embracing the importance of your own mental and emotional well-being is key to empowering yourself to seek professional help and enhance your personal well-being to a full and meaningful life.
It is okay to be not okay, and it is okay to seek help when you are not okay.
Elynn Teo
( Singapore )